The Water Crisis
At The Last Well, our goal is to eliminate water scarcity in Liberia in Jesus’ name. We also know that by helping our neighbors across the globe get access to safe-drinking water and the Gospel, we are providing an opportunity for Christ-followers to be agents of change for those in the world with the greatest need.
Worldwide, roughly 748 million people lack access to clean drinking water. That’s over twice the population of the U.S. using dirty, disease-filled water for cooking, cleaning, drinking, washing and more. Nearly half of those in need are in sub-Saharan Africa where Liberia is located.¹ Nearly one million of those live in Liberia. As a result, tens of thousands die every year around the world from preventable, water-related disease. Sadly, children are the most vulnerable to the effects of unsafe drinking water and sanitation problems. Of the tens of thousands who die each year, up to 90% are children under the age of five.
Water and Safety
Without a nearby safe water source, women and the children they care for walk countless miles and spend hundreds of hours fetching their drinking water from dangerous rivers and polluted water sources. It can take several hours to make a round trip to collect water. For many families, multiple trips are required to meet their daily water-drinking needs
Water and Education
The time spent on the journey keeps children, often young girls, out of school. The water they collect is dirty and filled with disease. Contaminated water causes sickness and keeps students who are not well enough to attend class away from their studies. As these children fall behind, their education is further and further delayed.
Water and Poverty
Ultimately, when they do not attend school, they are not prepared to work outside of the home. Unable to earn an income, they remain in a cycle of poverty.
Water and Health
Among the top ten leading causes of death in the world is diarrhea. Caused largely by a lack of safe drinking water, diarrhea is estimated to have accounted for 1.5 million deaths in 2012.² While that number is improved from 2.2 million diarrheal deaths from a decade ago, the reality is that these deaths are preventable with access to clean drinking water and sanitary education.